Hollywood has lost one of the last major stars of its Golden Age, with Oscar-winning actress Eva Marie Saint dying at the age of 102.
Saint died on Tuesday, October 6, at her home in Los Angeles, according to her representative Jeff Sanderson. She was surrounded by family and loved ones. Her death was attributed to natural causes.
The actress became an instant Hollywood star with her film debut in Elia Kazan’s 1954 classic On the Waterfront, in which she starred opposite Marlon Brando. Her performance as Edie Doyle earned her the Academy Award for Best Supporting Actress.
Saint followed that success with another defining role in Alfred Hitchcock’s 1959 thriller North by Northwest, playing Eve Kendall opposite Cary Grant.
Despite her early success, Saint deliberately avoided the conventional path to Hollywood superstardom, choosing to turn down several major opportunities while focusing on raising her two children with her husband, television director Jeffrey Hayden.
Her career later expanded into television, where she earned an Emmy Award for the 1990 miniseries People Like Us. She also appeared in productions including Exodus, Grand Prix, Moonlighting, Because of Winn-Dixie and Superman Returns.
Saint and Hayden were married for 65 years before his death in 2016. They had two children, Darrell and Laurette.
Born on July 4, 1924, in Newark, New Jersey, Saint initially planned to become a teacher before discovering acting while studying at Bowling Green State University.
She leaves behind two children, four grandchildren and two great-grandchildren.
